St James Nayland

While returning from my tour of Rosemary Rutherford's stained glass in the north-east of the Diocese of Chelmsford, I also called in at St James Nayland.  

The East Window here is believed to have been designed and painted by George Mayer (1822-1884) and erected by Tomas Baillie & Co., London. Behind the altar set in the centre of an 18th century reredos is a painting of Christ by Constable. "Christ Blessing the Bread and Wine of the Last Supper" a rare portrait of Christ commissioned in 1809 by John Constable's aunt who at that time was living in Nayland. The painting was stolen in 1985 but was swiftly recovered and has since been enclosed behind glass with a special security system. Two further paintings of Christ by Constable hung in All Saints' Church, Feering, Essex and in the parish church, Brantham, near Flatford Mill, Suffolk. “The Ascension” can be seen at St. Mary's, Dedham.

James Clark, who created the 'Farmiloe' window, was a provincial English painter born in West Hartlepool, in north-east England. He rose to prominence in 1914 when his painting entitled The Great Sacrifice was reproduced as the souvenir print issued by The Graphic illustrated newspaper with its Christmas number. Clark designed a number of war memorials and his painting was the basis for several memorial stained glass windows in churches.

The 'Kempe' Tower and West Window is found behind the font; its mellow colours (circa 1908) depict the figures of the Blessed Virgin, St. John and St. Luke accompanied by six small angels holding the background drapery aloft on ribbons. Tower’s symbols of a wheat sheaf and a castle can be seen low down on the left-hand-side.

Close to the Lady Altar are eight painted panels from the old rood screen. These are (from left to right) St. Cuthbert with the head of St. Oswald, St. Edward the Confessor – the best preserved shown with the ring supposedly given to St. John disguised as a beggar – a king who may be the Emperor Charlemagne, another unidentified king and an archbishop thought to be St. Thomas of Canterbury. 

Stations of the Cross along both the north and south aisles were added in 1987. Sculpted by Bette Curtis – a church member – they were commissioned in memory of Dr. Cloudsley-Smith.

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The Innocence Mission - Evensong.

Review - John Ruskin: The Power of Seeing

My latest review for Church Times is of “John Ruskin: The Power of Seeing” at Two Temple Place:

'Ruskin was a man of many words, who believed that, through drawing, one had the power to say what could not otherwise be said. He built his reputation on the power of his words as an art critic, author, and lecturer, but his subject was the power of seeing, because, for him, the teaching of art was “the teaching of all things”. He believed that the “greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something, and tell what it saw in a plain way”. “To see clearly”, he said, “is poetry, prophecy, and religion — all in one.”

Art, then, is an expression of “the love and the will of God” to which we gain access primarily by looking closely at the splendour of nature.'

In a review for ArtWay of Adrian Barlow's book Kempe: The Life, Art and Legacy of Charles Eamer Kempe I noted that:

'The legacy and reputation of many significant Victorians is complex and contradictory because their often great achievements were fashioned on the oppression of Empire and the superiority and arrogance which fuelled aggressive expansion presenting exploitation of others and their natural resources as being the introduction of civilisation.'

In addition to the Kempe review, my exhibition review for Church Times covering 'Edward Burne-Jones: Pre-Raphaelite Visionary,' at Tate Britain and 'Seen & Heard: Victorian Children in the Frame,' at Guildhall Art Gallery also explores the complex legacy left by the Victorians.

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Florence and the Machine - Big God.

Review: Edward Burne-Jones and Seen & Heard

My latest exhibition review for Church Times covers Edward Burne-Jones: Pre-Raphaelite Visionary, at Tate Britain and Seen & Heard: Victorian Children in the Frame, at Guildhall Art Gallery.

'Offering us a visual narrative for the huge cultural shift in how society viewed, and treated, children over the course of the “long 19th century”, “Seen and Heard: Victorian Children in the Frame” plunges us into the maelstrom of innovation and exploitation, compassion and sentimentality, which characterised Victorian society.'

'Tate Britain’s exhibition, by bringing together more than 150 works in different media, including painting, stained glass, and tapestry, presents Burne-Jones as the polymath that he would have appeared to be to his contemporary audience; to whom he was a designer and decorative and fine artist with an exceptionally wide range of literary reference.'

The review also considers the legacy of the Victorians, a legacy that I also examined in a review for ArtWay of Adrian Barlow's book Kempe: The Life, Art and Legacy of Charles Eamer Kempe:

'The legacy and reputation of many significant Victorians is complex and contradictory because their often great achievements were fashioned on the oppression of Empire and the superiority and arrogance which fuelled aggressive expansion presenting exploitation of others and their natural resources as being the introduction of civilisation.'

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Rush - The Garden.

The Life, Art and Legacy of Charles Eamer Kempe

My most recent book review has been published by ArtWay and is of Adrian Barlow's Kempe: The Life, Art and Legacy of Charles Eamer Kempe (Lutterworth Press 2018).

'Kempe offers a radical revaluation of the life, work and reputation of Charles Eamer Kempe (1837–1907), one of the most remarkable and influential figures in late Victorian and Edwardian church art. Kempe's name became synonymous with a distinctive style of stained glass, furnishing and decoration deriving from late mediaeval and early Renaissance models. To this day, his hand can be seen in churches and cathedrals worldwide.

Drawing on newly available archive material, Adrian Barlow evaluates Kempe's achievement in creating a Studio or School of artists and craftsmen who interpreted his designs and remained fiercely loyal to his aesthetic and religious ideals. He assesses his legacy and reputation today, as well as exploring his networks of patrons and influence, which stretched from the Royal Family and the Church of England hierarchy to the literary and artistic beau monde. These networks intersected at Kempe's stunning Sussex country house, Old Place, his 'Palace of Art'. Created to embody his ideals of beauty and history, it holds the key to understanding his contradictory personality, his public and private faces.'

In the review, I state that: 'Kempe’s is a fascinating story of a self-made man in tune with his own era who built a brand able to endure for sixty years. In common with A.W.N. Pugin, William Morris and G.F. Watts, he also created a home which fully expressed his personal inspiration and vision and was considered a masterpiece in its day. In one volume Barlow tells Kempe’s story and that of his collaborators, assesses key works and considers Kempe’s legacy and reputation. He brings Kempe’s faith-full practice to life while arguing for the ongoing significance of work based on an unchanging belief that past styles of faith were the best expression for contemporary faith.'

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Edward Elgar - The Spirit Of The Lord.

Art Trail and St John's Seven Kings

Today I gave a group from the Friends of Valence House a tour of the artwork at St John's Seven Kings. On the tour they saw our windows from the Kempe and Whitefriars Studios as well as work by Louis B. Davis, Derek Hunt, Viki Isherwood-Metzler and Sergiy Shkanov.

The group's leader said, "I would like to thank you for conducting a tour round St John's Church this afternoon for us. I know that all those who came had a most enjoyable afternoon and we learnt a lot; we all appreciated the time and effort you put in to it - many thanks. We look forward to seeing you again in May and hearing your talk."

The group made contact with us as a result of exploring the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area and the talk that I am scheduled to give to them in May is about that Trail.

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U2 - Every Breaking Wave.

New Church Art Trail

Tryptich by Henry Shelton at St Paul's Goodmayes, forming Stations XI, XII and XIII of the 'Stations of the Crown of Thorns'

Memorial etched glass windows by Henry Shelton at St Paul's Goodmayes depicting scenes from the Life of Christ

Et alias oves hab eo (And other sheep I have) by Anthony Foster

'Light of the World' West Window by Derek Hunt at St John's Seven Kings

Churches have for many years been significant patrons of the visual arts and contain important and interesting works of art. The local Anglican churches in Aldborough Hatch, Goodmayes and Seven Kings are no exception with works of art by some of the best local and national artists of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. As a result, the local cluster of Anglican churches has created an Art Trail with a route for visiting each church in turn and highlighting artworks of interest in the four churches.

St Peter’s Aldborough Hatch: A stone carved sculpture by Anthony Foster depicting Christ as the good shepherd can be found here. Foster, who was a pupil of the sculptor Eric Gill sharing Gill’s Roman Catholic faith and commitment to the Distributionist movement, worked in wood and stone and has many Church commissions in the UK. A sculpture of Rebecca at the Well can also be found at the West end of the churchyard while a decorated organ from the 1862 London exhibition and a Crucifixion by Woodford artist, A. Wyatt, are located in the church.

St John the Evangelist Seven Kings: The West window was designed by Derek Hunt and installed in 2005. The theme is “Light of the World” and its design brings together references from St John’s Gospel with elements particular to St John’s. Hunt’s commissioned designs can be found in churches, theatres, schools, public libraries, shopping centres and private buildings in Britain and abroad. The Nativity window was produced by C.E. Kempe & Co. Ltd., a famous Victorian glassworks begun by Charles Eamer Kempe. The window features the company’s trademark tower and wheatsheaf symbol.

St Paul’s Goodmayes: St Paul’s features a wealth of Church Art from stained glass designed by William Morris and Sir Edward Burne-Jones to its most recent commission, a set of Stations of the Crown of Thorns painted by Henry Shelton. Other works of note at St Paul’s include stained glass by Leonard Evetts, the most prolific British stained artist of the 20th century, and a Madonna and Child by the contemporary Roman Catholic artist, Jane Quail.

All Saints Goodmayes: The Millennium clock tower in Goodmayes and the memorial etched glass windows in All Saints, depicting events in the life of Jesus, are both the work of the noted painter of religious art in a contemporary style, Henry Shelton. Shelton is the founder member of commission4mission which aims to encourage the commissioning and placing of contemporary Christian Art in churches, as a means of fundraising for charities and as a mission opportunity for the churches involved.

Creation of the Art Trail was a recommendation in the report produced following a Community Street Audit of Aldborough Road South by the Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident's Association and the Fitter for Walking project of Living Streets. Printing of the Art Trail leaflets has been funded by Living Streets as part of the Fitter for Walking project and copies of the leaflets can now be found in local churches. Fitter for Walking helps residents create streets they can be proud of. It’s funded by the Big Lottery Fund, along with contributions from local authorities to work in five areas of England. Redbridge has a regional Fitter For Walking Coordinator – if you would like to be involved in the project please get in touch! To do so, please contact Tom Platt - Email: Tom.platt@livingstreets.org.uk or Tel: 020 7377 4917.

The churches on this Art Trail are all within walking distance of each other and are close to parks and other local amenities. Why not think of planning a day to see the art works and to exercise by walking or cycling the Art Trail?

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John Coltrane - Psalm.